Food Product Steamer and Method

ABSTRACT

A food product steamer and method of producing a steamed food product are provided. The food product steamer includes rotatable platforms that can be covered and uncovered by one or more rotatable, concave hoods. In a first position for the platform(s), the plafform(s) supports a food product over a steam-emitting opening above a steam generator. In a first position for the hood, the hood covers the food product such that steam from the steam generator is trapped within the hood to steam the food product. In a second, open position, the hood is rotated where it can receive the food product when the food product slides or falls off the platform as the platform is rotated from its first position to a second, elevated position. At least one embodiment enables food products to be removed from either side of the steam generating base by using a double-acting hinge.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/683,986, filed on Jan. 7, 2010, pending, the entire disclosure ofwhich is hereby expressly incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to food steamers. More particularly,this invention relates to a steamer and steaming method for foodproducts that include sandwich buns, rolls, croissants and bagels, aswell as pastas, vegetables and other food products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Steamers are used in the food service industry to treat bread andbread-type products prior to being served. When steam impregnates abread-type food product, such as a sandwich roll, the steam tends tosoften the bread product making the bread product seem fresher.

Steamers include both boiler-type steamers as well as flash steamers inwhich a volume of water is deposited or sprayed onto a hot surface,which “flashes” or converts the water to steam. A small, fixed amount ofwater is delivered onto a hot, dry surface which causes the water to bequickly boiled off and turned into steam.

A problem with prior art steamers is the removal of a food product afterit has been steamed or cooked. Since many restaurants sell food productsin specialized packages, it would be advantageous for a food productsteamer to be able to steam a food product as well as dispense or servethe food product into a package in which the food product will be sold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a food product steamer;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the food product steamer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the food product steamer shown in FIG. 1with the hood opened;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the food product steamer shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the food product steamer;

FIG. 6 is a side, cross-sectional view;

FIG. 7 is an end, cross section view;

FIG. 8 is an end, cross section view;

FIG. 9 is an end, cross section view;

FIG. 10A is a perspective view of a first alternate embodiment;

FIG. 10B is a cross sectional view of the alternate embodiment shown inFIG. 10A;

FIG. 11A is a perspective view of a second alternate embodiment;

FIG. 11B is a cross sectional view of the alternate embodiment shown inFIG. 11A;

FIG. 12A is a perspective view of a third alternate embodiment;

FIG. 12B is a cross sectional view of the alternate embodiment shown inFIG. 12A;

FIG. 13 is an isolated view of a food product steamer, showing placementof hinges relative to the opening 15;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a fourth alternate embodiment;

FIG. 15A is an exploded view of another alternate embodiment wherein thefood product platform can rotate in two directions;

FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional front view of the embodiment shown in FIG.15A showing the food product platform rotated counterclockwise; and

FIG. 15C is a cross-sectional front view of the embodiment shown in FIG.15A with the food product platform shown in FIG. 15A, rotated clockwise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts the shape and appearance of a preferred embodiment of afood product steamer 10. FIG. 1 also shows that the steamer 10 iscomprised of a steam-trapping hood 30 and asteam-generating/steam-emitting base 2.

The hood 30 has a shape reminiscent of a Quonset in the sense that thehood 30 has a somewhat arching roof-shape. The base 2 has a shapereminiscent of a rectangular parallelepiped.

The base 2 has a control panel with a display and controls forelectronic devices inside the base, such as a timer and water controls.The display and the controls, which are operable by a user, comprise auser interface for the steamer.

The base 2 has a substantially planar top face or surface 3, a leftsidewall 4, right sidewall 5, a front end wall 6 and a rear wall 7. Thetwo sidewalls 4 and 5 are provided with air vents as shown. Not visiblein FIG. 1 is an opening 14 in the top side 3 through which steam isemitted from the surface of a steam-generating platen, such as the onedisclosed in the Applicant's co-pending patent application entitled,Food Product Steamer, filed on Oct. 10, 2008, and which is identified byU.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/249,125. The contents of patentapplication Ser. No. 12/249,125 are incorporated herein by reference.

As shown in patent application Ser. No. 12/249,125 and as can be seen inthe exploded view shown in FIG. 4, the opening 14 in the top side 3 ofthe steamer 10 is covered by a steam-trapping hood 30. Steam that istrapped within the hood can be used to freshen bread products such assandwich rolls and breads. The steam can also be used to cook foods,such as vegetables and pasta.

An elongated continuous hinge 34, also known as a piano hinge 34,rotatably connects the hood 30 to the base 2. In the embodiment shown,the hinge 34 is attached to the left side 4 of the base 2 and just belowthe top surface 3. A handle 31 attached to the hood 30 through a stem 32allows an operator to rotate the hood counterclockwise (when viewed fromthe front panel 6) to open the hood 30.

When the hood 30 is in its closed position, as shown in FIG. 1, thebottom of the hood 30 and the top surface 3 of the base 2 aresubstantially co-planar. Stated another way, the angle θ₁ defined by thebottom surface of the hood 30 and the top surface 3 of the base 2, asmeasured around a geometric axis defined by the pivot of the piano hinge34 is zero degrees or nearly zero degrees.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the steamer 10 shown in FIG. 1. The angle θ₁between the hood 30 and the top surface 3 of the base 2 is more clearlyvisible in FIG. 2 in that, the top surface 3 of the base 2 and thebottom face or edge of the hood 30 are contiguous. As shown in thefigure, the angle formed between the bottom edge or surface of the hoodand the top 3 of the base 2 is identified in the figure by θ₁.

FIG. 3 is a different perspective view of the food product steamer 10.In FIG. 3, the hood 30 is shown in its full-open position. A geometricplane defined by the edges 35 of the hood 30, is substantially parallelto a geometric plane defined by the top side 3 of the base 2. A second,larger angle identified as θ₄ exists between the plane defined by thebottom edges 35 of the hood 30 and the plane defined by the top surface3 of the base 2. As the figure shows, θ₄ is substantially equal to 180°.Those of ordinary skill will recognize that when the hood 30 is closed,θ₁ is zero or nearly zero. When the hood 30 is fully open, the secondangle θ₄ is much larger, typically 180 degrees or nearly 180 degrees.

In FIG. 3, food products 25 embodied as bread rolls are shown resting ontop of relatively thin, planar and substantially rectangular-shaped foodproduct support platforms which are identified by reference numeral 20.The platforms 20 are perforated with several holes 24, shown in FIG. 4.The holes 24 are sized, shaped and arranged to allow steam to passthrough them. The holes 24 in the platforms 20 are thus consideredherein to be “steam-passing” holes.

A side edge of each food product platform 20 is attached to a hinge 26,which is in turn attached to the base 2 at the top surface 3 thereof.The axes of the hinges 26 define geometric axes around which the foodproduct platforms 20 rotate when the platforms 20 are lifted using oneof the handles 21, which are attached to the platforms by stems 23. Asshown in FIG. 3, the food product platforms 20 rest at a position suchthat the angle θ between the food product platform 20 and the top side 3of the base 2 is substantially equal to 0°. As shown in FIG. 3, the foodproduct platforms 20 are horizontal or substantially horizontal andlocated above the steam generating basin 12 from which steam is emitted.

As stated above, the platforms 20 can be rotated about the hinge 26 byan operator lifting a handle 21 attached to the platform 20 through astem 23. In the embodiment shown, rotating the platform 20counterclockwise around the axis defined by the hinge 26 lifts the foodproducts 25 around the axis to a point where the food product 25 willeventually slide off or fall off the food product platform 20 due togravity acting on the food product 25.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the food product steamer shown in FIGS.1-3. The base 2 can clearly be seen to have a top surface 3, leftsidewall 4, right sidewall 5, a front end wall 6 and a rear end wall 7.An elongated “piano” hinge 34 for the hood 30 is attached to the leftsidewall 4 and to the hood 30 to allow the hood 30 to rotate about theaxis defined by the hinge 34. Rotating the hood clockwise around thehinge 34 lowers the concave-shaped portion of the hood over a foodproduct 25 resting on a platform 20. Steam is generated by water thatflows onto the inclined heated surfaces 33 and 37 of the basin/heatedplaten 12 through a hole 42 in the apex 38 of the two inclined surfaces33, 37. The water is provided to the basin/heated platen 12 by a waterconduit 44 that extends upwardly through the base 2 and supplied by asource not shown in the figure.

As used herein, the open top of the basin 12 is considered to be anopening 14 from which steam is emitted. Steam that is generated over theheated surfaces 33 and 37 passes through a venturi plate 16, which likethe platform 20, is provided with numerous, steam-passing small holes17. The holes 17 in the venturi plate 16 are also considered to besteam-passing holes or openings through which steam is emitted.

The basin 12 shown in FIG. 4 is substantially rectangular. An exteriorrim 15 of the basin 12 is considered herein to define a limit of theopening 14. Stated another way, the rim 15 defines where the opening 14begins and ends. The space or area inside the rim 15 is thereforeconsidered to be an opening from which steam is emitted.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the food product steamer 10 shown in FIGS. 1-4.The hinge 34 to which the hood 30 is attached, is itself attached to theleft side wall 4 of the base 2 through the aforementioned hinge 34. Thehinges 26 that attach the platforms 20 to the base 2 are themselvesattached to the top surface 3 of the base 2. As can be seen in FIG. 5 aswell as FIG. 3, notches 36 formed in the hood 30 allow the hood 30 toclose over the stems 23 by which the handles 21 for the platforms 20 areattached to the platforms 20.

As described above, a geometric axis about which the platform 20 rotatesis defined by the hinges 26. In FIG. 5, the hinges 26 and itscorresponding axes are separated from the edge 15 of the basin 12, i.e.,from the opening from which steam is produced, by a first distanceidentified in the figure by D1. The hinge 34 for the hood 30 is attachedto the left sidewall 4 of the base 2, such that the axis defined by thehood hinge 34 is separated from the lip or edge 15, and hence theopening from steam is emitted, by a greater distance identified as D2.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the steamer 10 shown in FIG. 5,taken through lines 6-6 of FIG. 5. It can be seen that water dispensedonto the heated surfaces 33 and 37 through a port 44 flows from the apex38 downwardly, boiling off as it runs over the heated surfaces 33 and37. Water that is thus flashed into steam passes through holes 17 in theventuri plate 16, through the steam-passing holes 24 in the platforms 20and into a bread product or other food product on the platforms 20.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the steamer 10 shown in FIG. 5 takenthrough section lines 7-7. The different separation distances of thehinges 26 and 34 from the opening 14 in the top 3 and which is definedby the edge 15, are more clearly visible in FIG. 7. The first separationdistance D1 of the platform hinges 26 from the edge 15 is clearly seento be less than the second separation distance D2, D2 being theseparation distance of the second hinge 34 from the edge 15.

In FIG. 7, the food product support platform 20 is shown at a restingangle position θ₁ where it supports a food product 25 over the venturiplate 16 and the opening 14 in the basin 12. FIG. 8 shows the platform20 rotated in a counterclockwise direction to a second angle identifiedas θ₂. As the inclination angle increases toward θ₃ as shown in FIG. 9,the food product 25 on the platform eventually falls or slides off theplatform and into the concave space defined by the hood 30, which isrotated to its full open position. In order to facilitate food productremoval, the surface of the platform 20 is highly polished.

Collectively, FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 show that when the steam-trapping hood 30is rotated from a closed position where it covers a food product 25 onthe platforms 20, to an open position, such as the one shown in FIG. 7,a food product 25 on the platform 20 can thereafter be rotated on theplatform 20 and “dropped” into the hood 30 or a package 50 for the foodproduct, such as a point-of-sale package 50, simply by lifting theplatform 20 by its handle 21.

FIGS. 10A and 10B depict a first alternate embodiment of the steamer 10.The steamer 10A shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B differs from the steamer 10shown in FIGS. 1-8 in that the single hood 30 shown in FIGS. 1-8 isreplaced with two separate and individually operable hoods 30A and 30B.As with the single hood 30, each hood 30A and 30B is formed with notches36 that allow the hoods to rotate to a clockwise position and closerelatively tightly over the food product 25 and the platforms 20 onwhich they rest.

As with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-8, the embodiment shown in FIGS.10A and 10B also permits the rotation of a support platform 20 from afirst acute angle that is equal to or nearly equal to 0° to a secondlarger angle θ₂ at which a food product 25 will slide off or drop offthe platform into a hood or a point of sale carton.

As with the first embodiment, FIG. 10B shows that the hinge 26 for theplatform 20 is separated from the edge 15 of the opening 14 in the basin12 by a first distance identified as D1. The hood hinge 34, which isattached to the left side 4 of the base 2 is separated from the edge 15by a greater distance identified as D2 of the opening.

FIGS. 11A and 11B depict a third embodiment of a food product steamer10B. In this embodiment, a single hood 30 is attached to the right side5 of the base 2 through a piano hinge identified by reference numeral34A. As with the embodiments described in FIGS. 1-9B, the platforms 20are attached to the top surface 3 of the base 2 with the hinges 26adjacent or approximate to the left side 4.

The third embodiment shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B differs from the otherembodiments in that rotation of the platform 20 around the axis definedby the hinges 26 drops the food product 25 into a package 50 resting onthe surface on which the steamer itself rests. In FIGS. 11A and 11B, thehood 30 rotates clockwise from its closed position to its open position.

Note that in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the separationdistance between the platform hinge 26 and the edge 15 of the opening 14is identified as D1. The separation distance between the edge 15 of theopening 14 and the piano hinge 34A for the hood 30 is identified as D2.Since the piano hinge 34A is attached to the right side whereas theplatform hinge 26 is attached inside the left side 4, D2 is greater thanD1 in FIG. 10B. Since the hinges are on opposite sides of the openingdefined by the edge 15 of the basin 12, in an alternate embodiment ofthat shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, D2 could also be less than or equal toD1.

FIGS. 12A and 12B depict yet another embodiment of a food productsteamer 10C. In this figure, the piano hinge 34A for the hood 30 isattached to the right side 5 as with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11Aand 11B. In FIGS. 12A and 12B, however, the platforms 20A and 20B rotateclockwise and counterclockwise respectively around corresponding pianohinges 26A and 26B.

As can be seen in FIG. 12B, the separation distances D1 of the hinges26A and 26B from the edge 15 of the opening 14, are substantially thesame. In an alternate embodiment, however, the separation distances ofthe hinges 26A and 26B from the edge 15 can be different.

The separation distance D2 of the hinge 34A for the hood is greater thanD1 owing to the fact that the hinge 34A is attached to the rightsidewall 5. In an alternate embodiment, the hinge 34A could also beattached to the top surface 3, on the right-hand side of the opening 14.

FIG. 13 is a close-up view of the steamers shown in FIGS. 11A through12B. This figure shows the spacing and location of the hinges 26relative to the edge 15. The venturi plate 16 can also be seen to bejust inside the edge 15 of the basin 12.

FIG. 14 is another perspective view of yet another alternativeembodiment of a steamer 10D. FIG. 14 also shows dimension linesextending from the axes of the various hinges and the determination ofthe corresponding separation distances D1 and D2.

FIG. 15A is an exploded view of another alternate embodiment of asteamer 10E. Unlike the embodiments depicted in FIGS. 1-14, in FIGS.15A-15C, the food product platform 20 can rotate in two directions byattaching the platform 20 to a double-acting hinge 60 assembly. Adouble-acting hinge is sometimes referred to as a “saloon-door hinge” inthat a saloon door can swing in two directions. The double-acting hingemechanism 60 shown in FIGS. 15A-15C permits the food support platform 20to rotate away from the steam-emitting opening 14 of the base 2, in twodirections.

The double-acting hinge 60 is comprised of two hinges 26A and 26B and asubstantially rectangular, platform base plate 27. One “side” of a firsthinge 26A is attached to the top surface 3 of the base 2 while the other“side” of the first hinge 26A is attached along one edge of the platformbase plate 27, preferably to the bottom or underside of the platformbase plate 27, not visible in the figure. One “side” of a second hinge26B is attached to the platform base plate 27 along a second oppositeedge of the platform base plate 27 as shown. The second “side” of thesecond hinge 26B is attached to the food product support platform 20,preferably to the bottom or underside of the food support platform 20.

As can be seen in FIG. 15A, the two hinges 26A and 26B are configured toallow the platform base plate 27 and the platform to rotate “away” fromthe steam-emitting opening 14, in opposite directions. As shown in FIGS.15A and 15B, the first hinge 26A is connected between the base 2 and theplatform base plate 27. The first hinge 26A allows the platform baseplate 27, and anything attached to the platform base plate 27, to rotate“away” from the steam-emitting opening 14, in counterclockwise direction(when viewed from the front) around an axis of rotation defined by thefirst hinge 26A. Since the second hinge 26B is attached to the platformbase plate 27, it will rotate counterclockwise with the platform baseplate 27, around the first hinge 26A, as the platform base plate 27 isrotated “away” from the opening 14 in a counterclockwise direction.

As shown in FIG. 15C, when the platform base plate 27 is “down” andresting against the top 3 of the base 2, the second hinge 26B, which isattached to the platform base plate 27 along an edge opposite the firsthinge 26A, allows the food product support platform 20 to rotate awayfrom the opening 14 in a clockwise direction, leaving the platform baseplate 27 against the top 3 of the base 2. The two hinges 26A and 26B andthe platform base plate 27 thus comprise a double-acting hinge, whicheffectively allows the food product support platform 20 to rotatetogether with the platform base plate 27 in a first direction(counterclockwise in the figure) and to rotate without the platform baseplate 27 in a second direction (clockwise in the figure).

It should be noted that the centers of the platform base plate 27 areopen, providing large steam-passing openings or holes 29. Steam passesthrough the holes 29 in the platform base plate 27 and into the steampassing holes 24 formed in the food product support platform 20. Thelarge openings 29 in the platform base plate 27 allow the steam to passthrough the food product support platform 20 with minimal heat loss.

As with the other embodiments described above, a steam-trapping hood 30is attached to one side of the base 2 by an elongated piano hinge 34.When the hood 30 is open, as shown in FIGS. 15B and 15C, food productson the platform 20 can be removed from the platform 20 by rotating theplatform 20 in either clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that while the seconddistance D2 is shown in various figures as being greater than the firstseparation distance D1 an alternate and equivalent embodiment includesusing small, individual hinges instead of a piano hinge, which permitthe attachment of the hood 30 to the same surface of the base 2 that theplatforms 20 are attached to. The location of such hinges relative tothe edge 15 of the opening 14 could therefore be a design choice, i.e.,less than or equal to D1. Such embodiments would include attaching bothhinges to the top side 3 of the base 2. In yet another alternateembodiment, both hinges 26 and 34 can be attached to the same side ofthe base such that D1 and D2 would be equal or substantially equal.

In each of the embodiments, the hood 30 is preferably a rigid plasticbut can also be comprised of a flexible plastic sheet or even a waterpermeable membrane so long as the hood is able to enclose orsubstantially enclose a food product on the platform and retain steamthat is generated in the base 2.

For the sake of completeness, those of ordinary skill will recognizethat in order to remove the food product 25 from the platform 20, thehood 30 is first rotated around an axis defined by the hinge 34, from afirst, closed position to a second open position. As shown in severalfigures, the hood 30 is depicted in a closed position when the anglebetween its lower edges 35 and the top 3 is zero or substantially equalto zero degrees. The fully open position is preferably when the anglebetween the edges 35 and the top 3 is parallel or nearly parallel to thetop face 3 of the hood 2 such that the concave shape of the hood 30 willretain a food product 25, with or without a point-of-sale package 50placed into the hood 30.

The foregoing description is for purposes of explanation andillustration. The true scope of the invention is defined by theappurtenant claims.

1. A food product steamer comprising: a base including a top side, firstand second opposing side walls defining first and second lateral sides,first and second opposing end walls, and an opening in the top sidethrough which steam can be emitted, the opening being located betweenthe first and second opposing side walls and between the first andsecond opposing end walls; a food product platform perforated with aplurality of steam-passing holes, the platform being rotatably connectedto the base and rotatable about a first axis between an acute firstangle and a larger second angle with respect to the top side, the firstaxis being located at a first distance away from the opening toward thefirst side wall, wherein at the first angle, the platform is adapted tosupport a food product above the opening; a steam-trapping hoodrotatably connected to the base, the hood being rotatable about a secondaxis between an acute third angle and a larger fourth angle with respectto the top side, the second axis being located at a second distance awayfrom the opening toward the first side wall; wherein when the platformis rotated to the first angle and the hood is rotated to the thirdangle, the platform is over the opening and the hood is adapted tosubstantially cover a food product on the platform.
 2. The steamer ofclaim 1, wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance.3. The steamer of claim 1, further comprising a first hinge connectingthe platform to the base, the first hinge defining the first axis; and asecond hinge connecting the hood to the base, the second hinge definingthe second axis.
 4. The steamer of claim 3, at least one of the firsthinge and the second hinge being a continuous hinge.
 5. The steamer ofclaim 3, wherein the first and second hinges are both attached to thetop side of the base.
 6. The steamer of claim 3, wherein the first andsecond hinges are both attached to the first lateral side of the base.7. The steamer of claim 3, wherein the first hinge is attached to thetop side of the base and the second hinge is attached to the firstlateral side of the base.
 8. The steamer of claim 7, wherein theplatform is configured such that the first angle is substantially equalto zero degrees above the top side of the base.
 9. The steamer of claim8, wherein the platform is configured such that the second angle isgreater than ninety degrees above the top side of the base.
 10. Thesteamer of claim 9, wherein the hood is configured such that the thirdangle is substantially equal to the first angle.
 11. The steamer ofclaim 10, wherein the hood is configured such that the fourth angle isgreater than or equal to the second angle.
 12. The steamer of claim 1,wherein the base further comprises a steam generator below the opening.13. The steamer of claim 1, wherein the platform has a smooth surfacesuch that a food product can slide off the platform when the platform isrotated to an angle between zero and ninety degrees.
 14. The steamer ofclaim 1, wherein the hood is a rigid plastic.
 15. The steamer of claim1, wherein the hood is a flexible plastic sheet.
 16. The steamer ofclaim 1, wherein the hood is a water permeable membrane.
 17. The steamerof claim 1, wherein at least part of the hood is concave and configuredto at least partially enclose a food item to be steamed.
 18. The steamerof claim 1, wherein the hood has an interior volume, sized and shaped toreceive a point-of-sale package for a food item to be steamed.
 19. Thesteamer of claim 18, wherein the hood includes a partition dividing thehood into two portions configured to receive the two halves of aclamshell sandwich container.
 20. A food product steamer comprising: abase including a top side having an opening through which steam can beemitted, the opening being located between first and second opposingside walls of the base; a perforated food product platform above theopening, configured to rotate away from the opening in a first directionaround a first axis and to rotate away from the opening in a seconddirection around a second axis.
 21. The steamer of claim 20, furthercomprising a double-acting hinge operatively coupling the platform tothe base.
 22. The steamer of claim 21, wherein the double-acting hingecomprises: a first hinge connected between the base and a platform baseplate, said first hinge configured to allow the platform base plate andthe platform to rotate together, away from the opening, in said firstdirection; and a second hinge, connected between the platform base plateand the platform, said second hinge configured to allow the platform torotate away from the opening and the platform base plate in said seconddirection.
 23. The steamer of claim 22, wherein the platform base plateis perforated with at least one steam-passing hole and wherein theplatform is perforated with a plurality of steam-passing holes.
 24. Thesteamer of claim 20, further comprising: a steam-trapping hood above theopening, the hood configured to rotate away from the opening about athird axis, and the hood configured to substantially cover a foodproduct supported on the platform when the hood and the platform areeach rotated to an angle above the top side of the base substantiallyequal to zero degrees.
 25. A method of producing a steamed food productcomprising: providing a device comprising a food product platformrotatable between a food steaming position and a food removal position,and a steam source communicating with a steam outlet, the steam outletconfigured to direct steam onto the food product platform when the foodproduct platform is in the food steaming position; rotating the foodproduct platform to the food steaming position; placing a food producton the food product platform; directing steam from the steam sourcethrough the steam outlet and onto the food product to steam the foodproduct; and rotating the food product platform from the food steamingposition to the food removal position to cause the food product to fallor slide from the food product platform.
 26. The method of claim 25further comprising placing a food container adjacent to the device, sothat when the food product platform is rotated from the food steamingposition to the food removal position the food product falls or slidesfrom the food product platform into the container.
 27. The method ofclaim 25 further comprising: providing a steam-trapping hood rotatablebetween a closed food steaming position and an open food placement andremoval position; rotating the hood to the open position to permitplacing the food product on the food product platform; after placing thefood product on the food product platform, rotating the hood to theclosed position to at least substantially enclose the food product andat least substantially retain steam; and after the food product issteamed, rotating the hood to the open position to permit moving thefood product platform from the food steaming position to the foodremoval position.
 28. The method of claim 27 further comprising afterrotating the hood to the open position, placing a food container intothe open hood, so that when the food product platform is rotated fromthe food steaming position to the food removal position the food productis transferred from the food product platform into the container. 29.The method of claim 25 wherein the food product platform is perforatedwith a plurality of steam-passing holes, and placing the food productcomprises placing the food product over at least one hole.
 30. A methodof transferring a steamed food product comprising: providing a devicecomprising a food product platform, a base, and a hinge connecting thefood product platform to the base, wherein the food product platform isrotatable between a food steaming position and a food removal position;providing a steamed food product on the food product platform in thefood steaming position; placing a container adjacent the food productplatform; and rotating the food product platform from the food steamingposition to the food removal position to transfer the food product fromthe food product platform to the container.
 31. The method of claim 30wherein the device further comprises a steam-trapping hood and a secondhinge connecting the hood to the base, wherein the hood is rotatablebetween a closed food steaming position and an open food placement andremoval position, further comprising rotating the hood to the openposition to permit placing the food product on the food productplatform; after placing the food product on the food product platform,rotating the hood to the closed position to at least substantiallyenclose the food product and at least substantially retain steam; andafter the food product is steamed, rotating the hood to the openposition to permit moving the food product platform from the foodsteaming position to the food removal position.
 32. The method of claim31 wherein placing the container comprises placing the container intothe open hood.